Dear ISM, I thought it was time to tell my story of how and why I came to using your saddles. At the beginning of 2013 I got a new bike and decided to take part in a cycle sportive event later in the year. If I was to do these sportives, I had to increase my daily mile from the few I was doing to commute to work, etc. This is when the problem started. At around 12 miles, my right foot stated to go numb and got worse as the ride got longer. I decide to have a bike fit just in case there was an issue with my bike set up and/or shoes. The bike fit consisted of taking measurement off me and putting them in a computer… the result of this was my set up was about right. We had to make a slight adjustment to the saddle and handlebar height, and a small adjustment to my cleats. Shortly after the bike fit, I completed a 60 mile sportive and my foot was in pain. It got better after the event, but it took a few days to completely feel normal again. Over the next few months I was thinking the problem may have to do with my shoes, as I have to wear a couple of sizes bigger due to having wide feet. What I didn’t realize was I have high arches, I decided to get better fitting shoes and some insoles. I got this done just before my next 70 mile sportive ride; this turned out to be a great ride with no numbness until 50 mile when I got a pain from my left knee. Some months had passed and my knee still wasn’t right, so in March of this year I had a specialized bike fit which was completely different than my last fit. This establishes what level of flexibility you have and looks at your riding technique. After some more adjustments and a change in saddle, I went back to riding. The first ride wasn’t very good, and I got back pain and numbness. Over the next few weeks I couldn’t get the position right and I wasn’t convinced the new saddle was helping. I returned the saddle and completed my next 60 mile sportive a week or so latter… my foot was sort of okay. I returned to the finishing area… This is where ISM comes in. I noticed a bike with this odd shaped saddle. After asking the owner what make/model it was and if it was any good, he said it was an ISM and that it’s very comfortable. After reading the info and rider feedback on your website, what got me interested in your product was the fact it helps keep the blood flow going and reduces the compression on nerves. Then I contacted you for advice on what type of saddle would suit my type of riding (commuting, sportive, turbo training and use of tri bars) you recommended the Breakaway. I got the saddle at the end April, and went for a ride. Within the first few miles my backside was in pain (but this was expected) I stopped to adjust the seat because I was sliding forward a lot. Over the next couple of months I made adjustments then rode the bike for a while (in some cases was over a week) before making any more adjustments. I didn’t want to do any hard efforts or judge if my foot still had an issue until I was completely happy with the set up. The real test was going to be my first 100 mile sportive. I completed it last month, but was reduced to 87 miles due to bad weather. During the ride I had no problems… AT ALL. I completed the course in personal bests for fastest average speed, longest ride and the highest altitude gain. In summary… Take your time in getting used to the ISM saddle. It makes a world of difference. You may be able to sort out numbness without having to go through bike fits.